Combined break-joint and electriccord reel casing



DCC 4, 1.934- 1 BRoslLow Er AL 1,982,854

COMBINED BREAK JOINT AND ELECTRIC CORD REEL CASING Filed Nov. l2, 1951 Patented Dec. 4, 1934 CORIBINED BRAK-.OINT ELECTRIC- CORD REEL CASING Louis Brosilow, William Marko", and John Orosz, Chicago, Ill., assignorsto Rembrandt Lamp Corporation, Chicago, Ill.

Application November 12,1931, Serial No. 574,652 1 claim. (o1. 24o- 81) electric wire or cord pay-out and take-up reels,

whereby such a reel may be quickly and operatively connected to or assembled with relation to a portable electric lamp in order that the electric cord utilized for conducting electricity from a suitable source of energy to the electric wiring of the lighting fixtures of an equipped lamp may be optionally paid out or taken up from or by the reel, hence, permitting only that length of cord needed to span the distance between the equipped lamp and said source of energy to be exposed to view or extended from the lamp.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a device of the character, so constructed that the same may be employed in lamp production as an element of manufacture, allowing the same to be arranged or included in a lamp construction, either above or below the base of the lamp, without materially affecting the design of lamps now prevalent in the trade.

Other objects of the invention will be in part obvious, and in part pointed out hereinafter.

In order that the invention and its mode of operation may be readily understood by those skilled in the art to whichit appertains, we have in the accompanying drawing and in the detailed description based thereupon, set out one possible embodiment of our invention. l

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary vertical section taken through the lower portion of a portablev electric lamp equipped with the invention; and,

Figure 2 is a comparatively enlarged vertical section showing a slightly modified form of the invention as adapted to a lamp standard;

Having more particular reference to the drawing in connection with which like characters of reference will designate corresponding.` parts throughout, the numeral 1 designates a lamp base of` prevalent construction and design having a lamp standard coupling pipe receiving fitting 2 provided thereupon and consisting of a thickened and shouldered vextension formed `with a vertically disposed internally screw-fthreaded opening. This opening, as will be well understood' by workers skilled in the art, is ordinarily adapted to receive the screw-threaded lower end of a standard coupling pipe in the same, though in the embodiment of the invention as is illustrated in the Figure 1, instead of directly-turning the screw-threaded end of such a pipe 3 into engagement with said opening, we provide a combined breakjoint' and casing consisting of relatively engageable sections 4 and 5, the construction of which .will be hereinafter Vmore fully described; the section 5 being herein shown to be of shell- 60 like'hemispherical form with a xedly engaged externally V'screw-threaded nipple 6 extending therefrom and adapted to be turned into the internally Vscrew-thieadedA opening ofthe adjacent part 2. The section 5 is 'formed with an annular 65 shoulder 7 about and adjacent the inner extremity of the Lscrew-threaded nipple 6, and as shown in the Figure l, with the turning of the nipple 6 into engagement with the lamp base portion 2, said shoulder is brought into flush abutting contact with the adjacent end of the same.

The normally upper section t` corresponds in formation and size to the lower section 5, and has a nipple-like internally screwthreaded extension 8 provided upon the upper end of the same, into whichthel screw-threaded adjacentend 9 of the standard'coupling pipe 3 is adapted to be turned.

In order that the adjacent or inner marginal portions of the sections 4 and 5 may be' effectually interconnected and inI order that the same, when interconnected, will, provide continuity of surface therebetween,`said adjacent portions are formed with oppositely Y disposedV annular `flanges. or

tongues 10 adapted to have' relative overlapping 85 or interfitting engagementin the fashion asis shown in the Figure 1. Thus, with assembling of the hemispherical sections 4 and 5 shown in the present embodiment ofy the invention, it will be understood Athat a spherical body having a sub# stantially unbroken surface will be provided, and that thebody so constituted may be effectually and practically, used as an ordinary lamp constructionbreak-joint. If desired, the contacting side walls of the flanged portions 10 may be com- 95 plementally screw-threadedin order that the sections maybe positively interconnected orcif desired, the connection between said flanged portions" '10,m`ay be rendered secure Vor positive by any'other suitable means of fastening, such as 10 conditions or preference'may dictate.

With the connectionor mounting of our combination `breakjoint and casing` to or upon a lamp base such as illustrated herein, and with theconnection of the standard coupling pipe 3 105 to the nipple-like extension 8 of the section 4, it will'be understood that the usual sectional tubing (not shown herein)` or additional break-joints, suchas fragmentally shown in the accompanying drawingan'd illustrated by the numeral 11, may 110 then be slidably engaged over said coupling pipe 3, the standard tubing or the break-joint, such as identified by the numeral 11, flushly bearing or resting upon the straight edge marginal part of the extension 8, following which assembly, bracket arms for supporting lighting fixtures and the lighting fixtures may be then mounted upon or added to the construction assembly.

In order that electric cord pay-out or Itake-up from or to the lamp base 1 may be effected, we arrange within the section 5, a substantially hori-` zontally positioned rotatable reel 12 about which there is adapted to be coiled the electric cord' 13 consisting of the usual paired electric conductors within an insulating and finishing casing, one of said conductors constituting the cord and indicated by the numeral 14 being electrically con nected to an electrical contact element 16, fixed to one side of the reel and insulated therefrom as at 17, while the remaining conductor 15 of thecord is electrically connected to a second electrical contact member 18 fixedly secured to the opposite side of said reel and insulated from the same as at 19. It is preferable that the contact members 16 and 18 shall be annular and that the same shall extend entirely about the opposite end walls of the reel 12. Bearing brackets 20 serve to rotatably receive and support the opposite and coaxially disposed stubs 21 of the reel 12, said brackets being xedly carried upon an annular band of insulating material 22 which is adapted to be received in nested fashion within said section 5. Hence, effectual supporting means are provided the reel 12.

l'Co-acting electrical contacts 23 and 24 are provided in the normally upper section 4, said contacts being xedly secured to a supporting band or frame of insulating material, designated by the numeral 25, which, in turn, is adapted to have nested and fixedv connection, through suitable means, with the adjacent portion of the inner surface of the section 4. The inner or lower ends of the contacts 23 and 24are disposed in a manner that the same will effect a constant and positive rubbing contact with the contact members 16 and 18 and'in this way, it willbe understood that electrical connection between these paired contacts 16 and 23 and 18 and 24will be effected. k

To permit of a conduction .of electricity from the cord 13 to the lighting fixtures (not sho-wn) included in the'lamp assembly construction, electrical conductors designated by thenumeral 26, are passed through the coupling pipe 3, the upper ends of said conductors` being electrically connected to the said fixtures, while the lower ends are individually electrically connected asjat 27 to the adjacent and extended portions of the contacts 23 and 24.

From the foregoing, it will Vbe understood that with the supplying of `electrical energy `to the electricv cord 13, a complete circuit for the passage or flow of such energy will be provided through the conductors 14 and 15 of such cord` 13, the paired contacts 16 and 23 and 18'and'24 into and through their respective conductors 26 to and through the lamp lighting fixtures. Of course,

it is to be understood that thegouter or free end of the electric cord 13 .may be provided with an ordinary electric plug connection 28 whereby the oppositely disposed contact arms thereof'may be engaged with the usual floor or wall plug; though any form of connection of the cord 13 with a source of electrical. energy may be effected.`

In the Figure 2, we have illustrated a modified form of our combinedbreak-jointi and real'casing, wherein the same comprises complemental hemispherical sections 4 and 5, the opposite extremities of which are provided with sleeve-like extensions 29 and 30 adapted to be slidably and snugly engaged over a lamp standard coupling pipe 3'; the adjacent marginal portions of the sections 4' and 5 being complementally flanged as indicated at 10 and adapted to be overlappingly interengaged in the saine fashion as described in connection with the form of the invention illustrated in the Figure 1. In assembling or arranging the sections 4 and 5' of the deviceupon the standard coupling pipe 3', it is to be understood that the same may be interposed between the usual sectional standard tubing'or between ordinary break-joints. In the Figure 2, the sectional casing and break-joint is illustrated as being engaged over the standard coupling pipe and arranged between sections of standard tubing designated by the numerals 31 and 3 2, the marginal portion of the sleeve-like extension resting upon the adjacent end of vthe tubing section 32, while the adjacent end of the tubing section 3l, rests upon the adjacent marginal portion ofthe sleeve-like extension 29.

The sections 4 and 5 are adapted to house an electric cord reel 33 provided with a hollow hub portion 34 which is adapted to be snugly androtatably engaged about an adjacent portion of the coupling pipe 3'; electric cord 35 being engageable with and about the reel hub and passing from the reel through a suitable bushed opening 36 in a portion vof the coupling. pipe 3' into and through the same and from the base (not shown) of the equipped lamp. Drum-like casings 37 and 38 are provided adjacent the opposite ends of the rotatable reel 34 and each receive therein, coiled clock springs 39, certain of the ends of which are fixed to appropriate portions of their respective drum-like casings, while the remaining ends are fixed to portions of the coupling pipe 3" or to other non-rotatable objects. Inasmuch as the drum-like casings 37 and 38 areconnected to their adjacent ends of the rotatable reel 34, it will be understood that the same will rotate with the reel. Also, it will be noted that the normally lowerodrum-like casing 38 is rotatablyreceived and supported upon a collar or shoulder 40 engaged about and immovably fixed to a portion of the couplingpipe 3f as shown in the Figure 2.

Flat electrical contact rings v41 and 42 are carried upon the outer faces of the several drumlike casings 37 and 38, being secured to their respective portions of these casing's with a medium of complementally formed insulating rings 43, which,` in turn, rare suitably secured to the casing. Electrical Contact fingers 44 and 45 are individually engaged with the. contact rings 41 and 42, said fingers being securedto adjacent portions of the coupling pipe,3 .by bolts 46 and 47 which pass through electrically insulated openings in the coupling pipe 3 and which have the respective locking nuts thereof electrically connected to conductors 48 extending through said coupling pipe'y into electrical connection with the lighting fixturesv includedr in the lamp construction. It will.' be thus seen that with rotation of `the reel 34 about the coupling pipe 3', the drumlike`A casings 37 and 38will be carried therewith and that during this rotation constant electrical contact will be effected as between the contact rings 41 and 42 and their respective contact fin'- gers 44 and 45. To complete the electrical cir'- cuit from; the electric cord 35 to and through the conductors 48 and the lamp fixtures (not shown),

it will be noted that said cord 35 includes a pair of conductors, one of which is electrically connected, as at 49, to an angularly formed contact terminal 50 xed to a portion of one side of the reel and havingits remaining end fixed to an adjacent portion of the contact ring 41; also, that the remaining electrical conductor of the cord 35 has fixed electrical connection, as at 51, with a second angularly formed contact terminal 52 xedly mounted upon the reel 34 and having the free extremity thereof ixedly and electrically connected to a portion of the contact ring 42.

In order that the electric cord 35 may be guided onto the peripheral portion of the hub of the rotatable reel 34 from the bushed opening 36, we preferably employ, xedly mounted on the coupling pipe 3' Within the sectional break-joint and casing, a right-angularly formed arm 53, securing the same to said coupling `pipe as indicated at 54, the remaining end of the arm being formed with a guide loop 55 through which said cord 35 passes.

In the operation of the form of the invention illustrated in the Figure 1, the required length of electric cord 13 is pulled from the rotatable reel 12, whereupon the electric plug 28 is engaged with a floor or Wall plug or other source of energy. In this connection, it is preferable that the reel 12 shall be spring actuated so that with uncoiling of the electric cord 13 from the same, the spring means (not shown) provided the reel, will be placed under tension, consequently, with release of the cord 13, will automatically rewind the slack or excess portion of the cord about the reel. The combined break joint and casing may be readily adapted to the lamp construction, in the manner as is shown in the Figure 1, during the assembly of the lamp construction.

tions thereof, one end of the standard xedly en- The operation of the form of the invention sections 4' and 5' are slidably engaged over that portion of the coupling pipe 3' provided with a. reel construction and into interengaged relative engagement.

Manifestly, the construction shown is capable of considerable modification and such modification as comes Within the scope of our claim, We consider Within the spirit of our invention.

We claim:`

In combination With a portable lamp standard and base, a casing comprising medially divided and detachably interengaged sections, said sections having Ways in the relativelyopposed po-rgaging in the way of the uppermost section, a nipple-like extension on the remaining section communicating with the Way therein and connectedto said base, the standard and casing section engaged thereby being collectively de- 10() tachable from the remaining and base engaging section, an electric conductor take-up and payout means rotatably mounted in the base engaging section, electrical conductors electrically connected to and receivable about said take-up and pay-out means, said conductors passing through the nipple-like extension, other electrical conductors extending through said standard, and electrical contact means connected to said last mentioned conductors arranged in the standard engaging section for detachable electrical contact with portions of the take-up and pay-out means. 

